George Meade

George Gordon Meade (31 December 1815-6 November 1872) was a Major-General of the US Army during the American Civil War, commanding the Union's Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

Biography
George Gordon Meade was born in Cadiz, Spain on 31 December 1815, the son of a naval agent employed by the US government. In 1817, the family returned to America, impoverished, and Meade entered West Point in 1831. He graduated 19th in a class of 56 in 1835, and he served an artilleryman during the war against the Seminoles. Meade served as a staff officer during the Mexican-American War and served as a surveyor in the years leading up to the American Civil War.

American Civil War
In August 1861, he became a Brigadier-General in the US Army, commanding volunteer forces under the Army of the Potomac. He was severely wounded during the Seven Days Battles of 1862, and he showed heroism at the Second Battle of Bull Run later that year. At the Battle of Antietam, George Meade succeeded corps commander Joseph Hooker when he was wounded, and Meade made a name for himself there. Meade was promoted to Major-General after being the only Union commander to breach Confederate lines during the Battle of Fredericksburg, and he was again appointed to succeed Hooker in June 1863, this time as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Meade delegated great responsibility to his subordinates during the Battle of Gettysburg, and he managed to secure an amazing victory for the Union. Meade failed to pursue and destroy Robert E. Lee's retreating forces, and he was kept as commander of the Army of the Potomac under close supervision from General Ulysses S. Grant. He was constantly passed over for promotion and outshone by fellow Union generals, and he was not present for the Confederate surrender at Appomattox on 9 April 1865. After the war's end, he commanded several military departments, and he died in 1872 at the age of 56.